


Shrew

by sheriffandsteel



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Zombies, F/M, Smut, Taming of the Shrew AU, bethyl, trigger warning- mentions of suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2020-02-26 16:47:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18721054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheriffandsteel/pseuds/sheriffandsteel
Summary: Hershel Greene is a very protective man who imposes several rules on his daughters. Most of them Beth doesn't mind, however, she's getting real tired of the rule that Maggie can only go on dates if she comes along.





	Shrew

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a tumblr prompt by flippantninny.

"I'm not going." Beth crossed her arms tightly over her chest, mere seconds away from stamping her foot in protest as she repeated herself for the fourth time. She could practically hear her older sister rolling her eyes(Lord knew she couldn't see her sister as far back as she was shoved inside Beth's closet).

"You have to come Beth!" Maggie cried as she threw yet another article of Beth's clothing uncaringly over her shoulder where it landed atop the other numerous articles that were now scattered across her bedroom floor. Beth muttered a curse under her breath as she glared at the clothing, her fingers itching to gather them up and fold them neatly but she hadn't put them there so she certainly wasn't going to be the one to clean them up. "You know that Daddy won't let me go alone."

Beth scuffed the toe of her shoe against the worn wood of her floor as she shrugged. "Then don't go. We'll go do something instead." she offered knowing full well that if she and Maggie did end up doing something alone it would end the way it always did: in a crowded place where an endless gaggle of men threw themselves at her sister's feet while Beth ended up chasing off all of the poor friends who had drawn the short stick of being the wing-man and having to hit on her. On the plus side her snappy comebacks and drastic actions were gaining her quite the reputation around the area. She'd come to enjoy the slightly nervous look men gave her once they realized that she was Beth Greene.

"Please Bethy." Maggie pleaded as she straightened, turning away from the remains of Beth's once well organized closet to stare at her with wide eyes. "You know I really like this guy."

Beth sighed, "You really like every guy." she grumbled as her shoulders slumped in defeat. She never could resist her sister once she started to call her 'Bethy' which Maggie knew all too well. Maggie let out a squeal of glee as she tossed the piece of cloth in her hands towards Beth.

"Put this on!" Maggie cried as she bent to gather Beth's clothes in her arms before turning and dropping them unceremoniously on the floor of Beth's closet. Beth held the small white piece of fabric up in front of her, a frown creasing her forehead. She could not remember buying the shirt in her hands but more importantly...

"Maggie you didn't hand me any pants." she chided her sister as she stood, shutting the bedroom door with her foot as she began to tug off her t-shirt.

The sound of her sister's snort was lost as the cloth passed over her head. "That's a dress silly."

Beth crinkled her nose in disgust as she held the shirt(no way in hell this tiny bit of cloth would actually cover her butt) in front of her. "Where did it even come from?" she wondered to herself. She certainly did not remember purchasing the small white thing in her hands.

Maggie's near bat level hearing heard her of course. "I bought it for you for Christmas ages ago. You've never even worn it." She rose a well plucked eyebrow at her sister, hands resting on black clad hips. Sometimes Beth was astounded at how easily her sister slipped from well mannered farm girl to rough and tumble biker babe.

"There's a reason for that." Beth grumbled as she kicked off her shoes and slipped her jeans down her legs. Silently cursing her sister and their father's stupid rules Beth pulled the stretchy white thing down over her head. "What's his name anyway?" she asked as she tried to figure out the small straps that were supposed to resemble sleeves.

Maggie watched her struggles for a moment before stepping forward to help ease her out of her misery. Beth huffed and tried to pull the dress down lower on her legs swearing as the movement exposed more of her chest. "His name is Glenn and he's twenty-five. We met at the pharmacy and-"

"No not Glenn, I've met Glenn." Beth said with an eye roll as Maggie stepped back, clearly satisfied for the article she was still claiming to be a dress. She walked around behind Beth, grabbing the brush off the dresser as she did so. "What charming friend is he setting me up with this time?"

"Oh!" Maggie pulled Beth's hair from its customary ponytail and began to run the brush through the long blonde waves. "I haven't actually met him. Glenn says he's known him for years though."

"What's his name?" Beth asked, trying not to flinch as her sister yanked painfully on her hair. A soft touch was one quality her sister lacked. "Its not that asshole Zack again is it?"

"Beth! Language. And no its some other guy, Daryl, I think." Beth nodded as she toyed with the bracelets on her wrist. She wasn't actually curious about the man, she knew just as well as anyone that nothing would come of this farce of a date they were going on. She simply liked to know the names of the men she was being forced to go out with beforehand to make sure that she wasn't being set up with the same asshole twice.

"Got a last name?" she asked, frowning as she felt Maggie twisting her hair up in a knot. That was going to take her hours to untangle later.

"Dixon. I think he works at the garage by the highway exit. Now no more questions! I need to do your makeup."

Beth let out a heavy sigh as her sister began holding up numerous bright colored lipsticks up by her face.

XxX

"No way in hell man." Daryl grunted as he tugged on the lock holding the heavy metal garage doors down.

"Dude come on! You owe me!" Glenn protested, darting in front of Daryl with a glare the older man hadn't honestly expected he could produce. Regardless Daryl sidestepped around him, his mind was to focused on the next two days where he could sleep in to pay Glenn very much attention.

"Why do you need my damn help to go out on a date?" Daryl finally asked as he approached his bike, Glenn trailing after him hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"Her dad has this rule." Glenn was interrupted by Daryl's snort of laughter.

Daryl peered through his overgrown hair at the younger man. "Just how old is this gal?"

Glenn rolled his eyes and Daryl's presumptuous question. "She's twenty-four but her dad is really protective."

"That's not my problem. Go ask Zack." Daryl shrugged as he swung his leg over the side of his bike. Glenn's jackass friend was more than willing to go out with any girl that so much as blinked in his presence.

Glenn squirmed, suddenly very interested in Daryl's motorcycle. "He's already gone out with Maggie's sister. He said he wouldn't do it again."

Daryl rose an eyebrow at that and the story Glenn was clearly not telling him. "So you wanna fist the bitch off on me?"

"Please Daryl." Glenn pleaded, all but clapping his hands together in front of him as he begged. "Maggie's really great and I think we might have something special."

"No way Glenn." Daryl insisted as he turned the key and revved his bike. This was getting far more emotional than he was comfortable with. "I'm not wasting my Friday night for you and some shrew."

Glenn swerved in front of Daryl's bike slamming his fist down on the handlebars as the bike's engine roared and Daryl glared at him. "Remember what happened with Mitch? You fucking owe me man!"

Daryl flinched at the reminder, groaning as he knew he was caught.

"Fine." he grumbled glancing away from the happy grin spreading across Glenn's face to grab his helmet, pulling it down over his head,

"Great! Meet us at Joe's at 7. And Daryl take a shower!" Glenn cried out as Daryl peeled out of the parking lot. Daryl risked lifting one hand off the bars to shoot his friend the finger.

XxX

Beth pulled at the hem of her dress self consciously as they loitered outside the crowded diner in the sticky June air. She had never shown this much leg in public and she couldn't help but notice the eyes staring at her bare pale legs appreciatively. Well those of the men who could tear their eyes away from Maggie's striking form. The pair of them were far to over dressed for this cozy dinner. They looked like they belonged at a biker bar or a club, certainly not standing outside the diner with the best milkshakes in town.

Groaning Beth shifted her feet, grateful that she had literally put her foot down about wearing the five inch heels Maggie had tried to force her into. She stared down at the beat up Converse encasing her feet as they waited for their 'dates' in silence.

"I've never seen this place so crowded before." Maggie said, biting her lip as she scanned the inside of the packed restaurant. "Maybe they're already inside."

"Or maybe they stood us up." Beth said unable to hide the hope in her voice. She regretted her comment the moment she saw Maggie's face fall. Sighing she reached over to squeeze her sister's arm comfortingly. She had already donned her battle armor for the night ahead and had forgotten that her sister was actually looking forward to this date. It was her third one with the same man, a record as far as Beth knew. Silently cursing their father's stupid rule (why he couldn't trust Maggie to be alone with a boy without ending up pregnant or kidnapped Beth would never understand) she forced herself to remember that for Maggie this night was special.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon." she reassured, causing Maggie to give her a worried smile. How her beautiful strong sister could have such little confidence to believe that a man actually stood her up Beth had no idea.

A voice suddenly called out her sister's name and a wide grin split across Maggie's face at the sound. Beth caught sight of Glenn pushing through the crowd to reach them, a surly looking older man behind him when Maggie suddenly gripped her wrist and spun her to face her.

"Beth I really like this guy." she whispered frantically, her green eyes wide and earnest. "Please be good."

Beth's snippy comment died on her lips as she saw the gleam in her sister's eyes. "I'll play nice." she promised just as the two men reached them.

Her sister let out a squeal and all put threw herself onto Glenn, their mouths immediately colliding. Beth looked away with a grimace to look at the man being forced into her company for the evening. At least this one looked about as excited to be here as she did. Most of Maggie's date's 'friends' that were forced into her company seemed to think that they would be the man to catch and tame her 'wild heart.'

"Beth." she said sticking her hand forward. The man dragged his eyes from her bare legs to take her hand, shaking it once quickly.

"Daryl." he let go as quickly as possible looking as though her touch was offensive to him. Beth turned to shove her sister forward to get her to head into the restaurant. The sooner the night started the quicker it'd be over. Maggie and Glenn giggled like lovesick children as they headed inside, Daryl's sullen form sulking after them. Beth sighed and tried to pull her dress down again as she followed them inside, steeling herself for the long night ahead.

XxX

Glenn hadn't been lying when he said that Maggie was hot but he had failed to mention that her sister was also a looker. Shoved close to her inside the sticky vinyl booth Daryl was having to physically restrain himself from starring at the white expanse of her thighs. This was not the type of girl whose company he was usually in, although she was certainly dressed like one. The white dress made her look so inhumanly pure that Daryl felt dirty just sitting next to her. He suddenly found himself wishing her had taken Glenn's advice and showered.

After ordering their food Maggie and Glenn had proceeding to huddle into each other, alternating between making out and whispering to each other as Daryl and Beth looked on in disgust. They didn't share a word as they sat and stared at different bits of the scenery around them both pointedly ignoring the couple making out in front of them. Daryl felt like he should talk to the pretty blonde girl next to him but she still had her nose stuck up high in the air and with a jolt he realized that this was the infamous Beth mother fucking Greene. Horror stories of her dates had spread all over town and he knew for a fact some of the boys at the garage had bets on who could be the first to get into her pants. He suddenly didn't care how hot she was, this girl was dangerous.

Daryl shifted against the cracked vinyl in discomfort, trying to put some distance between him and the small woman he knew once dumped a cup of hot coffee into Martinez's lap because he hit on her. Daryl eyed the white ceramic cup she was sipping from at the moment and scooted farther down the booth. He sure as shit wasn't going to open his mouth and talk to her now, not with running the risk of getting second degree burns on his crotch.

He found he was unable to take his eyes off of her though and when she reached for her coffee again Daryl caught sight of a thin jagged line partially hidden beneath her bracelets. He blinked in surprise, he wouldn't have thought the girl who had once hopped off of a Ferris wheel to get away from a date would do something so desperate. As though she sensed his thoughts Beth turned and fixed him with a bright blue eyed glare. Daryl returned her glare for a moment before they were interrupted by the arrival of their food.

The waitress placed their plates in front of them and Maggie and Glenn finally disengaged their mouths from each other. Daryl found he had all but lost his appetite as he picked mindlessly at the fries on his plate.

"So Beth." Glenn began, clearly trying to either win favor with Maggie's little sister or to ease the awkwardness he could feel radiating from across the booth. "How's the music coming along?"

A smile bloomed across Beth's face at the mention of it and she shrugged modestly. "Its going pretty well."

"That's what you want to do right? For a career?" Glenn asked as he snagged a fry off of Maggie's plate. She swatted at his hand playfully as he grinned at her.

Beth nodded and opened her mouth to reply but she closed her mouth with a snap when Daryl snorted. He felt her large blue eyes drift over to him and Daryl felt his heart stutter in terror at the blank coldness in her gaze. Immediately he began to chide himself for being afraid of this tiny little blonde thing that he could more than likely throw around with one arm. Merle would give him hell if he knew that speck of fear he had felt just then.

"Is something funny?" Beth asked, her bright blue eyes drilling holes into his and her voice, while still as sweet and soft as before, had lost all of its previous joy. Daryl was beginning to feel justified for that spark of fear.

A small shiver went down his spine and Daryl felt himself bristle at the feeling. He spared a quick glance at her coffee cup, relieved to see that it was now empty. Her only weapon no longer usable Daryl felt his fear melt away. This tiny little thing was harmless now.

Daryl settled back into the booth, going so far as to close some of the distance between them as he turned to face her, his arm snaking across the top of the booth and his knee bumping hers under the table.

She rose a small blonde eyebrow at him but did not move her leg away or shy into the corner of the booth like he had expected her to do. His eyes darted to her wrist again, the scar now hidden behind her bracelets.

"Musics a tough gig to break into." Daryl said with a shrug, suddenly sure he was repeating words she'd heard a hundred times over.

Beth's eyes narrowed coldly as Maggie made a small warning noise they both ignored. "And what, you don't think I'm tough enough." she said it as a statement, not a question but Daryl still felt compelled to answer.

Daryl rose an eyebrow at her as he looked her up and down.. "What you don't own a mirror?" the instant the words left his mouth Daryl heard Maggie suck in a breath and his brow crinkled in confusion as Beth straightened her spine and glared at him hotly.

"Meaning what exactly." she asked, her voice suddenly an octave lower and Daryl could swear there was a twinge of deadliness in it now.

He had to physically restrain himself from shifting under her gaze. Taking a deep breath he forced himself to continue. He was already in shit now and as Merle liked to say as he racked up gambling debts, in for a penny in for a pound.

"Meaning you look as tough as a wilted flower." Daryl insisted, pointedly ignoring Glenn shaking his head at him and frantically gesturing for him to stop talking. The next words left his mouth without a thought. "That scar on your wrist is proof of that."

The booth went quiet and Daryl instantly regretted the words, wishing he could take them back. That was low, even for him. He was just considering apologizing when Beth spoke.

"Wilted flower." she repeated slowly, almost as if she were testing the way the words felt on her tongue. She turned back to face her sister then and Daryl let out a slow breath he hand't realized he was holding. That wasn't so bad. Beth Greene wasn't the horror story everyone made her out to be. She wasn't tough at all.

A sudden movement blurred in the corner of his eye and he turned around in time to catch a face full of cold ice water. Daryl spluttered with a gasp against the startling coldness.

"What the fu-" his cry of alarm was cut off as Beth stood up on the seat and crawled across him, no regards for the shortness of her dress as she hopped down from the booth and onto the black and white checkered floor.

Her face was flushed from anger as she threw a fistful of bills down on the table and turned towards her sister. "Tell Amy I'm sorry for the mess."

"Beth!" Maggie cried staring in horror across the table at Daryl's sopping wet form. Daryl tuned out the elder Greene's apologies as he watched her little sister stalk out of the diner, her scrunched up dress barely covering her ass and the only thought he could form was gratitude that she had finished her coffee.

XxX

She was still fuming when Maggie caught up with her three blocks later. The car pulled up next to her on the street and Beth spared a glance to make sure Maggie was alone before she clamored inside.

The two sisters sat in a charged silence for a moment before Maggie broke it by whispering. "I'm so sorry Bethy, Glenn too." Maggie shot her a worried look from the corner of her eye which Beth pointedly ignored by staring out of the window. She heard her sister let out a deep sigh. "What Daryl said was way out of line."

Beth ran her finger over the slim scar on her wrist. "He wasn't wrong." she whispered, staring at her reflection in the dark surface of the window. "I was a weak little flower."

"You're not weak Beth." Maggie insisted as she turned the car down their long dirt driveway. The headlights shone out over fields Beth knew she could navigate in the dark.

Sighing Beth rested her head against the window. "I used to be." she reached up to pull her hair from the tight bun her sister had knotted it into so painstakingly mere hours before. She looked down at her hands as her hair tumbled down around her shoulders. "I'm sorry I ruined everything."

"You didn't ruin anything." Maggie promised as she reached over to squeeze Beth's shoulder. Beth twisted to look over at her sister with a raised eyebrow as Maggie grinned. "Glenn and I are going to go out again next weekend."

Groaning Beth slouched lower into her seat. "Please tell him to find a nicer friend than Daryl. Or a gay friend. Or someone in a relationship who just wants a dinner out." The friends that had been accompanying Glenn on these dates seemed to keep going from bad to worse.

"Don't worry Bethy, I'll talk to Daddy." Maggie stared ahead fiercely at the farmhouse as the car rolled to a stop. "This rule is ridiculous anyways."

XxX

The rule was ridiculous, but it had still been in place since Maggie had returned from her one and only year at college. By that point Beth was just entering puberty and Maggie had already discovered sex. Hershel decided the best way to protect both of his girls from the dangers of men and pregnancy was to declare that as long as she lived under his roof Maggie was only allowed to go on dates while Beth went along on the date with them. The first few years had been awful for everyone. No one liked to have their dates tagged along with a pouty thirteen year old. By the time Beth turned fifteen however, boys were begging to be the tag along date with the many men who tried for the eldest Greene child's heart.

At first Beth loved the attention, it was flattering to be considered as such a prize among the community. For a few months she even fancied herself falling in love with one of her suitors, Jimmy. But then she overheard a conversation with his friend about how long they thought it would take for him to 'pop her cherry' and Beth was hit with the realization that these boys did not want to date her for her, but for what was between her legs. She had broken up with Jimmy at that moment, in the middle of the high school hallway, while their peers watched on with unbridled glee as she told him in no uncertain terms that he was unworthy of her virginity.

And from that moment on she was the high school prude and the town bitch.

Of course Maggie did not stop going on dates although they did slow down considerably as Beth became ruder and meaner to every boy brave enough to be the plus one. She just couldn't deal with the fact that everyone thought that this was all she was good for. No one ever approached her to ask her on a date, they were all content to be the tag along for Maggie's. The next day there were always grossly over exaggerated horror stories reaching her ears. The funny part was that her parents seemed to be nothing but amused by her actions and her big brother Shawn made her relive the date the instant she got home, seeming more proud than anything by her rude mannerisms. The only one who seemed to have a problem with her actions was Maggie but since it never stopped her from having a date she did not complain to much.

The dates did stop for a while when Beth was sixteen and her mother and Shawn were killed in a freak car accident. The cars brakes had given out at the wrong moment and they had driven headfirst into a tree, killing them both within seconds. Their deaths had nearly killed Beth. She had collapsed in on herself, not leaving her bed for weeks. One day it all became to much for her and she had dragged a broken shard of mirror across her wrist in an attempt to rejoin the lost members of her family. The instant she saw the first drop of her blood she knew that she was making the wrong decision, she did not want to leave her father and Maggie no matter how much she missed Shawn and her mother.

Of course just because she'd had a change of heart while she made the cut didn't stop everyone from freaking out over her trying to kill herself. It took nearly a year for her to convince her remaining family members that she wasn't going to try to hurt herself again.

News traveled fast in their small town so that by the time Maggie was brave enough and trusted Beth was well enough to ask her to accompany her on another date, everyone knew. The men went from treating her like a prize to treating her like spun glass, like she would fall apart at any second and needed them to protect her from the horrors of the world. In truth, she almost liked Daryl for being the one person to ever call her out on cutting open her veins.

That was the last straw for Maggie though, hearing someone talk to her precious baby sister that way. True to her word she told their father that same night that she was going to continue dating Glenn without forcing Beth to tag along. After several hours of arguing(the death of his step-son and wife had only increased Hershel's protectiveness of his daughters) their father finally agreed that Maggie could see Glenn whenever she wanted but she was not allowed to have overnight visits. Maggie had conceded quickly, later confiding in Beth that she and Glenn were more than comfortable with daytime sex.

Beth didn't care who her sister dated or what she did with them, she was just glad she was no longer being forced to play a part in it all.

XxX

Summer passed in a blur of sweltering hot days spent riding horses, writing songs and evading her father's questions of her plans now that she was done with high school. Beth did not have the heart to tell him that she planned on going on a tour of the country once she had enough songs for a CD.

She was sitting on the porch late one evening, the late August air alive with noise around her as she pointedly tried to ignore her father and Maggie arguing over some camping trip. Her fingers plucked at the guitar strings mindlessly as she stared out over the farm. The door crashed open behind her and she heard Maggie's familiar footsteps as she crossed the porch to sink down on the steps next to her.

"You going campin' with Glenn?" Beth asked curiously as she wrote down the newest strand of music notes on the notebook resting on the steps next to her.

Maggie cleared her throat awkwardly. "We wanted to go for Labor day." The use of past tense was not lost on Beth. She sighed as she sensed what was coming next.

"Wanted?" Beth asked, hoping that Maggie wouldn't ask what she was expecting her too.

Maggie shuffled her bare feet in the grass at the end of the steps."You know Daddy's rule. No overnights. He won't budge."

Beth groaned, dropping her head to rest against her guitar. "You want me to go don't you?"

"If you don't mind...I'll do your chores for a month." Maggie pleaded, Beth made the mistake of looking over and catching her sister's large puppy like eyes.

"Damn it. Fine." Beth ground out between clenched teeth. "Whose the poor sap who has to suffer you two with me?" she asked running a hand over her face tiredly. It wasn't like she had any other plans for the long weekend.

Maggie shifted uncomfortably, suddenly avoiding her eyes and Beth began to groan. "Bout that..."

XxX

Daryl hitched the pack higher up on his shoulders, silently cursing himself for letting Glenn guilt trip him into this. He didn't owe that boy any more damn favors after the hell this weekend was sure to be. He plodded along after their small group, grumpily ignoring Maggie and Glenn flirting at the lead and Beth walking silently a few feet behind them. She was wearing plain jeans and a t-shirt this time and Daryl couldn't help but notice how much more comfortable she looked in them than that damn dress she wore the first time they met.

The night she dumped water on him and made him feel like a damn fool. At least no one made too much fun of him for that, having liquids dumped on you by Beth Greene was a pretty common experience around this part of the state. Of course, what most people didn't know was that was also the night he was such a dick he used her own pain against her.

Still, Daryl makes a point of not looking at her as they set up camp for the weekend. He cut in on Maggie and helped Glenn build one of the tents instead, forcing her to build the other one with Beth. If it weren't for the fact that when he went on hunting trips he usually just slept on the ground he would be impressed by the fact that they finished building their tent only minutes after him and Glenn.

As the lovebirds decided to scope out the area, the trail map had shown a pretty wide creek not to far from their camp-sight, Daryl set off without a word to go and hunt down some food. He purposely avoided looking back at Beth when he left her. He wanted to make sure she knew just how much he didn't want to be there, not matter how good she looked in those jeans.

XxX

By the time the others had returned it was nearly full dark out. Beth was sitting beside the fire that she had proudly made herself(Shawn had been big on teaching her survival skills) when a giggling Maggie traipsed in with Glenn. Beth politely didn't say anything about their mussed hair and disorderly clothing. Daryl returned not long after with three dead and skinned squirrels hanging from his belt. She wasn't sure whether she was impressed or disgusted by the sight of it.

Whatever she was she still ate the squirrel with the others, even if it was mostly to wipe the stupid look off of Daryl's face when he asked if it was to rough for her 'delicate taste'. The night passed slowly, Maggie and Glenn keeping up a constant stream of chatter both pulling Daryl and Beth into at times. Beth liked Glenn well enough, he was certainly the best boyfriend Maggie had ever had but she just did not understand his choice of friends. For the first date he had gone on with Maggie he had brought this boy Zack who spent the whole night psychoanalyzing Beth's suicide attempt while trying to place his hand on her thigh. The second date he had brought along his friend Eugene who spent the whole evening talking Beth's ear off about video games and fictional creatures all while staring at her chest. And then the third time he brought Daryl, who was sadly the best out of all of Glenn's friends so far. Which Beth didn't think said much for him.

Beth tried to avoid even looking at the man as they all made s'mores over the small fire. But she couldn't help studying him in the firelight, the way the flames reflected in his blue eyes and made his dark hair look even darker entranced her and she felt a twinge in her lower belly. She had felt such a way only once, the night at the music camp she went to the summer she was sixteen where she decided that there was only way to get the best of people making bets on her virginity. They boy's name was Ben and he was all wandering hands and teeth in kisses but at least when people made quips about her being a virgin she could laugh to herself.

Thankfully she was pulled from such dangerous thoughts as Maggie yawned. She began to clean up the supplies and Beth had a feeling she was going to wish she had brought along ear plugs as she watched Glenn hurry to help her. Daryl and her watched in silence as the couple finished cleaning up and retreated into their tent, shooting a quick "Good night" over their shoulders as they went.

Beth swallowed a sudden burst of fear, she hadn't realized Maggie would be sleeping in the same tent as her boyfriend. In retrospect she should have expected it but still that meant she would be sharing a tent with...

Her eyes slid across the fire and she gave a start to realize that Daryl was staring back at her with the same shocked expression she was surely wearing. For a brief wild moment Beth wondered if he could ready her dirty thoughts about him on her face before he cleared his throat.

"I'll sleep out here." he grunted as he kicked dirt over the flames, killing the fire. Beth stood with a huff, suddenly irrationally angry. She told herself it was because he was treating her like glass suddenly instead of her strange desire to be close to him. Sure his arms were nice but they weren't that nice.

"Why? To scared to be in close quarters with me?" she whispered fiercely, trying desperately not to catch Maggie's attention(although judging from the sounds coming from inside the other tent it would take a lot more than one heated conversation to interrupt those two).

Daryl flinched before stalking forward, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. Beth's breath hitched and she reprimanded herself for finding such a look a turn on.

"I ain't afraid of nothing." he bit out before stalking ahead of her and ducking into the small tent. Beth followed after him with another huff, kicking off her boots before she crawled inside. Forcing her thoughts of him aside she made a show of not touching so much as Daryl's sleeping bag as she stretched out into her own, tugging off her jeans once she was inside the bag.

"What the hell are you doing girl?" Daryl grunted, turning over to glare at Beth in the moonlight shining through the fabric of the tent.

Beth glared at him as she pulled the jeans out from the bag, throwing them down by her feet. She hadn't thought about what taking her jeans off might look like, she just couldn't stand the feeling of the rough material against her legs as she tried to sleep. "I can't sleep with pants on." she snapped before turning on her side away from him, but not before she caught sight of the hungry look in his eye.

"Don't even think about trying anything." she snapped, ignoring the racing of her heart at the thought of what it would be like if he did.

"Wouldn't dare." Daryl snapped back, although Beth thought she might have heard a twinge of an insulted tone in his voice.

XxX

Daryl groaned as he rubbed his hands over his eyes and trudged up the small hill after his group. He didn't mind stalking through the woods for hours to hunt but the novelty of just going for a hike was lost on him. Maggie had convinced all of them that it would be good for them and so they all trudged after her in the early morning sunlight, everyone but her still seeming to be half asleep.

It didn't take long for the sun to ware down Daryl's mood and so it certainly didn't take much for him to start ripping into Beth. She had made some comment, something idle and girly about how the woods were so peaceful and she would love to live in them and Daryl had lost it. Perhaps it brought back to many memories of his childhood and the times he thought he would end up lost in woods just like these forever.

"You wouldn't last a damn day out here girl." Daryl snapped causing Beth to whirl around on him in fury. Daryl ignored the blaze in her eyes and pressed on. "Two hours in you'd be makin' deals with the Devil to go run back home to your daddy."

"Stop acting like you know me!" Beth burst out stepping forward to stand toe to toe with him. Daryl blinked in surprise, he had expected for her to walk away or say something snippy before ignoring him. He had not expected for her to start yelling into his face. The instant she started though his anger came back full force, wiping out his surprise and his tiny grudging bit of respect of the girl.

"You know nothing about me so stop acting like you do! I could survive in these woods because I have survived a hell of a lot worse! Stop treating me like some piece of garbage you found on the streets!" she was right in his face now but Daryl refused to step back even though he could feel her breath on his face when she yelled.

"Then stop lookin' at me like I'm redneck trash!" Daryl yelled back, his face flushing, from both the words and the insinuation that it mattered to him what she thought of him.

This stopped Beth as a look of confusion flashed over her face. "I wasn't." she said peering up at him while shaking her head in denial. For a moment they stared at each other as if from a new light before the moment passed as quickly as it came. Daryl opened his mouth to protest her statement when Beth suddenly turned away from him, scanning around them frantically before letting out a low groan that effected Daryl far more than it should have.

"They left us." she damn near whined as she rose a hand to push her hair back from her face.

Daryl looked around them to see that she was in fact right. There was nothing near them now but trees and each other. He cursed and began to scan the ground for Maggie and Glenn's footprints. "I can track 'em." he muttered, not sure if he was trying to reassure Beth or impress her.

Beth just shrugged though as she began to head back the way they came from. "Don't bother. I'm gonna go find that stream." she pushed through the underbrush causing far more noise than Daryl would have thought possible for someone of her size. He stood in one spot, torn between going back to the camp site or heading off to hunt when Beth called his name.

He turned to her and she rose a slim blonde eyebrow at him. "You comin' or what?"

XxX

With Daryl's help she found the stream far faster than she would have on her own and Beth wasted no time stripping off her shoes and socks to dip her feet into the water. She felt his eyes on her back as she sighed in contentment as the cold water made its way over her feverish flesh.

"You just gonna stare at me all day?" she asked, for once not snapping it at him as the water eased her into a better mood.

Beth didn't look back but she heard the thumps as he deposited his shoes on the ground. The sound of a zipper drew her attention and she whirled around, water splashing up on her calves, soaking the legs of her jeans.

"What the hell are you going?" she demanded, blushing as she repeated his words from the night before. Daryl rose an eyebrow at her before dropping his pants to the ground. Beth quickly latched her eyes to his face, refusing her urge to look down.

"Can't swim with my clothes on." Daryl smirked at her as he rose his shirt over her head and Beth's mind went blank at the sight of his torso. She suddenly wanted very much to run her hands down his chest.

"See something you like?" Daryl asked, his smirk growing wider as Beth blushed at being caught staring.

She shrugged as she stepped back onto the dirt purposely ignoring him as he walked past her and waded into the water. It was deeper than she thought because after a few steps he was already up to his waist. Beth tore his eyes from the scars on his back telling herself they were none of her business. She suddenly felt with a startling clarity that he was only letting her see those scars as an apology for what he had said about hers.

"You comin' or what Greene?" Daryl suddenly called, turning back around to face her. Beth's eyes scanned the expanse of his chest feeling that twinge in her belly again. Well two could play at that game.

She didn't say anything as she wiggled out of her jeans but she felt Daryl's eyes glued to her the whole time. That only made the twisting in her gut increase and by the time she pulled her shirt over her head she thought she was either going to have to scream or throw up to stop the feeling.

Since she couldn't very well do either she quickly waded into the water, gasping as the cold touched her skin. When it came up to her waist she sucked in a deep breath and dove under the water, the cold thankfully clearing some of her senses. Beth rose and brushed the water off of her face, a small noise causing her to turn back to Daryl who was staring at her open mouthed.

"What?" she asked curiously, looking around her to see if there was a water snake or some other creature that caused him to make that noise. Not that she expected Daryl Dixon to be afraid of a damn water snake. Her voice seemed to draw him out of his state though because he simply shrugged.

"Nothin'." he grumbled looking away form her as if he was suddenly highly invested in the trees around them.

Beth stared at him for a moment, Daryl was clearly trying to ignore her and she felt a familiar surge of anger at this. Before she really thought over her action her hand suddenly drew back and she drove it through the water, causing a large wave to splash over Daryl's torso.

He spluttered as the water hit him in the face before glaring daggers at her. Beth shivered under his gaze, suddenly aware of what they might look like if Maggie or Glenn suddenly showed up. She licked her lips as Daryl continued to glare at her, racking her brain for something to say when a splash of cold water hit her in the face and she let out a small cry of surprise, her hands raising to her face as though they would protect her.

The sound of Daryl's quiet chuckle caused her to drop her arms and glare at him. For a moment they both simply stared at each other, both now dripping wet, before all out war commenced.

With all the sound they were making Beth was honestly surprised that someone didn't show up to see if one of them was drowning. The water around them rippled and tossed as if there was a current as they splashed and flicked water at each other. Beth giggled as Daryl spat some of it out of his mouth and she stepped back quickly to avoid a large spray of water he splashed at her. Her heel slipped on the muddy bottom and she felt herself begin to tip backwards with a gasp. She closed her eyes against the cold she knew was coming when an arm suddenly snagged her by the waist.

Beth's eyes snapped open and she found herself suddenly pressed tight against Daryl's chest as he helped straighten her to her feet. Their gazes seemed trapped on each other as they both struggled to regain their breath. Daryl's arm began to loosen around her waist and a primal part of Beth suddenly took her over. Her hands reached up to grasp Daryl's shoulders and she pushed herself up as tall as she could before pressing her lips to his.

The kiss was short and sudden, Daryl pulling away almost the instant that their lips touched. He pulled away and stepped back as if she burned him and Beth felt her face flush, mortified. She opened her mouth to apologize, to tell him that she didn't mean anything by it, when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her, one hand snaking around her waist and the other gripping her chin tightly as he bent his head to kiss her.

This kiss was heated, his tongue slipping into her mouth almost immediately as their mouths crashed together. Beth's hands went to grip his arms and she was pleased to find that they felt as nice as they looked. Daryl's hand tightened around her hip and she let out a small moan into his mouth as he bit her bottom lip softly.

The noise seemed to only encourage him more because suddenly both of his hands were on her ass and he was lifting her up out of the water as effortlessly as if she weighed nothing. Beth wrapped her slim legs around his waist, shivering as the breeze chilled the water still clinging to her skin. Their mouths did not stop their frantic dance as Daryl carefully made his way out of the water, Beth's hands beginning to roam over his chest and shoulders as he walked.

He nearly stumbled when he reached the shore and Beth giggled against his mouth. He pulled away from her then and Beth's eyes popped open to stare at him in disappointment before her back suddenly hit the rough bark of a tree. All of a sudden Daryl was pressed up directly against her, using the weight of his body to pin her to the tree as he dipped his mouth to kiss her neck, his hands roaming up her bare thighs.

Beth gasped at the touch of his cold fingers on her skin but the gasp quickly turned to moan of pleasure as his mouth landed on a sensitive part of her neck. She felt his mouth twist into a grin and silently she marveled at the fact that he was actually able to smile. That thought died as he suddenly caught her mouth with his again, his hands roaming up to cup her breasts over the wet cotton of her bra. She gasped as his thumbs rubbed circles against the thin fabric and she squirmed against his touch, fingers digging into his arms.

Daryl moved one of his hands away and she groaned in protest before she felt it against her back, popping the clasps of her bra easily. He pulled his body away from hers enough for them to struggle the piece of clothing out from between them. Beth spared a quick pray that no one walked across them in their compromising position but then Daryl's hands were on her breasts again and she let out a cry that he quickly quenched by kissing her again.

His thumbs moved in slow tantalizing circles across her breasts, leisurely brushing across her nipples. Beth bit his lip in a silent urge for him to move faster and Daryl groaned into her mouth. He pulled away from her to kiss a sloppy trail down her heaving chest, reaching a hand up to cover her mouth as he took her breast into his mouth. Beth panted against his hand, grateful that he thought ahead to silence her because as he rolled his tongue around her nipple she let out a moan. She felt like she should be embarrassed by the noises she was making but Daryl didn't seem to mind the sounds. He dug his hips deeper against hers and she could feel the press of him against her as the bark bit deeper into her skin. She curled her hands into his wet hair as he continued his ministrations on her breast before pulling away and looking down at her with half lidded eyes.

"I have a condom." he said softly, suddenly sounding uncertain, as if she was going to push him back into the water and walk away. His eyes seemed to lighten as she nodded, struggling to regain her breath as she unwound her legs from his hips.

"Go get it." she damn near pleaded as her feet hit the dirt. Daryl pressed a chaste kiss to her mouth before turning back towards the heap of their clothes. Beth took the moment to appreciate the way his plaid boxers clung to his backside as he rummaged in the pocket of his jeans. Small foil packet in hand he walked back towards her slowly, his hands going to rest on her hips. She stretched up on her toes to kiss him again, winding her hands into his hair as he slid her panties down off her thighs. Carelessly she kicked them off from her ankles and she felt Daryl's hands between them as he eased off his boxers, heard the tear of the foil as he opened the condom wrapper.

Part of Beth's mind was appalled that she was about to have sex with this near stranger in broad daylight in the woods where anyone, including her sister could easily walk in on them. But that was only a small part and it was grossly overruled by the rest of her brain which was simply going haywire as Daryl gripped her bare ass and lifted her up to press against the tree again.

This felt nothing like the only other time she had had sex. That time was outside too, but it had been dark and she had been pressed on her back against a rough blanket as a boy who played the piano quickly thrusted in and out of her. She had been left feeling severely disappointed by the whole experience.

This felt nothing like that.

Daryl ground his hips against her for a moment before reaching between her legs. Beth gasped and bucked her hips as he slipped a finger into her wet center. He slipped in another finger as her own fingers dug harshly into his shoulders. He groaned against her mouth as he slipped his fingers out, and she felt him position himself at her opening. She braced herself for the pain but instead when he slipped himself inside her she only felt the delicious sensation of being full. She squirmed against him, her legs tightening around his waist, ankles crossed tightly against his thighs as she adjusted to this new feeling. Daryl gave her only a moment to get used to the feeling before her slid out of her again.

Beth let out a cry of protest but then suddenly he was back, his hips digging into her inner thighs as her pressed farther into her than she thought possible. Daryl began to kiss down her neck, one hand holding her mouth tightly as he continued to pump in and out of her, his mouth now entranced by her breasts.

Beth cried out at the overwhelming amount of sensation her body was now under. She felt like a live wire, all nerves pulled taunt as Daryl's hips ground into hers. He let out a moan of his own as she rolled her hips in a desperate attempt to be closer to him. The word "More." slipped past her lips and despite it being muffled by his hand Daryl seemed to hear her. He pulled away from her breasts, one hand still clamped over her mouth as the other gripped her hip tightly. The rough bark of the tree cut into her back as he began to thrust into her faster. She felt rather than heard his pants for breath against her ear and her fingernails dug grooves into his upper back as he slammed against her.

The sound of their flesh meeting seemed as loud as gunshots to her and she was surprised no one had come to the sounds. Daryl's fingers clenched against her hip and she moaned against his hand. He pulled his hand away from her roughly, pressing his mouth to hers almost violently as he gripped both of her hips, using his grip to enter her even faster. Beth suddenly felt like sound was rushing past her and Daryl only just managed to swallow her screams as she all but came undone around him, her legs clenching around his waist tightly.

He grunted into her mouth and she felt his whole body tense before he slumped against her, moving his mouth to her shoulder where he kissed her skin softly. They both stood in silence for a moment, panting as they fought for breath. Daryl unwound her legs from his hips before slipping out of her and setting her feet back on the ground. He stepped back and looked down at her as if he was truly seeing her for the first time.

Beth fought down the urge to cross her arms over her chest as she smiled up at him sweetly. Daryl looked down at her with an almost worried expression, as though he was afraid she was now going to slap him. With her reputation she supposed that was understandable. Still he was the first man who had made her feel such a way and she almost enjoyed arguing with him. The fact that he treated her like a person and not a doll helped. But Beth thought she might have been just as surprised as he was when the first thing to come out of her mouth was. "We should do that again sometime, Mr. Dixon."


End file.
